Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
ANTON
L uca tells me to a rob a bank to prove my loyalty to him.
“You can’t be serious,” I say.
“If you don’t want me going after your wife, then do as I say.”
I’ve been looking into Luca ever since he forced me to work with him, and I haven’t found anything I can use against him. He doesn’t have a wife or kids. There’s nothing connecting him to any crime that I can send to the police. Anonymously, of course.
Luca is proving challenging for me, and normally, I love a challenge, but right now, I fucking hate it. He’s threatening Katya, and I can’t let that stand.
“I’m not going to rob a bank for you.”
He takes a sip of his martini and leans back in the booth. “Why not?”
“Because it could be put on the police’s radar, and that’s the last thing I want. I don’t think you want that either because if I’m arrested, then you can’t use me.”
“True. But then I’ll just find someone else. So, if you don’t want me to kill your beautiful wife, go rob a bank for me. Any bank. I don’t care which. I just want to make sure you’ll do anything for me.”
“Fine. I’ll rob a bank.”
“Sounds swell.”
What I don’t tell Luca is that I’m not going to rob a bank. I’m going to blow it up.
I pick a large national chain bank—one that can recuperate the losses I’m about to do to it. I wait until nightfall and make sure there’s no one inside. A guard walks the perimeter of the bank before going into a security guard booth off to the side. Good. I don’t always care who I kill, but I sort of feel bad for people just doing their jobs. They don’t deserve to die because two Mafia men are fighting over power.
I have my makeshift Molotov cocktail ready to go. This is my favorite part. Sparking the match and watching everything burn.
I cover my face with a ski mask and hold the Molotov cocktail with gloved hands. I take a deep breath, and then I run toward the bank and throw the burning rag and bottle at the building.
A huge explosion happens when it hits.
The security guard jerks up from his booth, but before he can call for backup, I reach him and knock him out with one hit to the head.
Is it stupid to run into a burning building? Yes. Do I love it? Fuck yes.
I pull an oxygen mask out of my pack and slip it on. This mask has helped me breath through a lot of fires, and it’s never let me down.
I sprint into the bank and jump over the counter. I collect as much money as I can from the tills, then get my ass out of there. If Luca wanted me to rob a vault, then he should have fucking said so.
Police sirens ring out as I haul ass back to my car. Once I’m inside, I drive away slowly so as not to arouse suspicion. Police cars drive right past me to the burning bank.
They’ll never catch me. I didn’t leave any evidence behind, and the fire has burned away anything that might have been found.
My heart races as I park a few streets away and count the money. Ten grand. It’s not a lot, but it’s something. Luca better fucking appreciate it.
I go back to his bar and wait outside for him to show. He’ll come because a man like him is too eager to wait for answers.
He arrives within thirty minutes. “So, you did it already? I’m impressed. It’s only been a few hours since our meeting.”
“What can I say? I’m efficient. Here.” I toss him the bag with the cash in it. “I robbed a bank.”
He counts the money. “There’s only ten grand here.”
I shrug. “If you wanted more, you should’ve specified more.”
Rage covers his face as he tosses the money to the ground and grabs me by my jacket. “I want you to rob a bank vault, one that has millions of dollars’ worth of money. Is that so hard to understand?”
“Then you should have told me that. I got you your money. Now, let me go.”
“No. You work for me now, Anton. I will kill your wife if you don’t comply.”
Nothing will ever be good enough for Luca. And since I can’t seem to find a weak point from within to take him down, I guess I’m just going to have to do this the hard way.
“Fine. Kill my wife. But I’m not working for you anymore.”
To say he’s shocked is an understatement. “You can’t do that. I’ll kill you and your wife.”
“So? If I’m dead, I can’t miss her. And if we’re both dead, then you’d be doing us both a courtesy. We’re kind of fucks up, let me tell you. We’re better off dead.”
“You don’t mean that.”
I narrow my eyes. “Try me.”
Luca lets me go and motions to his guards. “If Anton won’t play, then kill him.”
That’s Luca’s problem—thinking he’s the top dog here. He’s not. I have a few tricks up my sleeve.
I grab Luca by the back of his shirt and pull out a knife I stashed in a secret pocket of my jacket. It makes it easy for guards not to notice when they pat me down.
I press the knife right against Luca’s skin, the spot above his liver. “You see, Luca, if I were to stab this into your soft skin right now, you’d be dead within minutes. Not even your guards could save you. For some reason, you keep underestimating me, and I don’t understand why. So, here’s a new deal. I’m going to let you go, you won’t kill me, and I won’t have to work for you in exchange for letting you live.”
“You won’t win this, Anton. I’ll just come for you and your wife.”
“I’ll be ready. Until then, I’m going to walk away. I’m tired of you bossing me around. I’m going to be honest, I only stuck around as long as I did because I was thinking of ways of killing you. That didn’t work out. Or … maybe it did.” I plunge the knife into his body and pull it out.
He jerks forward. For extra measure, I push him toward his guards, and it surprises them enough for me to escape. I dive behind a car as they start firing at me.
This is nothing for me.
I’ve been in a lot of bad scrapes in my life, and yet, I always seem to come out on top. It’s either pure luck, or the universe loves me. I like to go with the latter.
“Just catch him,” Luca grits out.
I sneak a peek around the car and watch him holding onto his bleeding abdomen. Good fucking riddance.
As one of his guards gets closer to me, I lunge forward and slam my knife into his leg, making him fall to the ground. His gun drops out of his hand, and I grab it and shoot him in the head. When I remove my knife from his leg, his blood splatters onto my face. God, how I missed this.
The other guard comes running for me, but I stand and shoot him in the chest. He joins his friend on the ground. The only one left alive is Luca.
He lifts his gun and fires at me, and I duck down.
I could risk my life, but I want to see Katya’s expression when I come back covered in blood, so I run away into the night. Luca will come for me again. That’s all right.
The only unknown is Katya. I just have to keep her from leaving the house so she doesn’t get hurt. That will be easier said than done.
KATYA
Anton comes home covered in blood, and I shouldn’t say I’m surprised, but I am.
He couldn’t look more like a madman even if he tried.
“What happened?” I ask from my bed. With barely anything to do, I’ve been lying here contemplating my existence for the past few hours.
“Killed a couple of men.”
My body goes on high alert. “You … did what?”
“Killed a couple of men. They were trying to kill me, so …”
“So, that makes murder ok?”
“Always. Self-defense isn’t murder, baby. It’s self-preservation.” He leans over me in his full bloody glory. His shirt is coated in blood and so is his face.
“Don’t expect me to kiss you like that.”
“Ah, so, you were thinking of kissing me?”
I walked right into that one. “No.”
“Right.” He sits down on the bed and gives me a long look I can’t make out. “If I asked you to never leave this house ever again, would you?”
“Are you serious?”
“Completely.”
“Ok. Well, if you’re seriously asking, then I would tell you no, I won’t do that. I need to leave sometimes. I’ll go stir crazy locked in here forever. Don’t ask that of me. I’m not going to leave you again, Anton. I know it’s pointless. But you need to give me some freedom, or this marriage will never work.”
“I’ll just lay it out straight: A pissed off Italian named Luca Moretti wants me dead and you by extension. So, it would just be safer if you stayed inside all day and night from now until forever. Ok? Great.” He pats my leg and stands up, leaving a blood stain in his wake.
“Uh, what? You can’t just say and not explain anything to me.”
“Well, I can because I’m the husband.”
“Oh my god,” I groan, tilting my head back. “You’re not going to use that on me, are you?”
“Why not? It’s a valid excuse to keep you locked up in this house, where I know you’re safe.”
I’m about to tell him off when I think about his words. Anton wants to make sure I’m safe. He wants to make sure I’m safe . That means a part of him cares about me, which is good news. If Anton cares about me, then he won’t go after my family. They’ll be safe.
“How about a deal?”
A dangerous smile crosses his face. “A deal?”
“You give me a cell phone, and you can track it. That way, in case anything happens to me, you’ll know where I am. And I’m allowed to leave the house. I want to see my friends. I need it. I promise I won’t run from you again. This is fair, and you know it.”
He crosses his arms and considers my words. “Mmm. How far are you willing to go for this deal?”
Every fiber of my being is going to regret this, but I have no choice: Anton is my husband. I need to make an effort with him.
“I’ll give you a kiss,” I offer.
“With someone else’s blood on my lips? Because that’s the only way I’ll agree to this. You give me a kiss while I look like this, and I’ll agree to your terms. It’s pretty easy, all things considered.”
“Ok.” While everything inside me is repulsed by the idea of having a dead man’s blood on my lips, the other part of me wants to kiss Anton again. His kiss woke my body up for the first time in my life.
And it doesn’t hurt to want to kiss my husband.
Anton takes my face in his hands. “No backing out now, baby.”
“I’m not scared.”
“Yes, you are, but I’ll let that pass.”
Before I can snap back at him, his lips find mine. It’s just as electric as our first kiss, but somehow even better. I know what to expect now. I know how to meld my lips with his. How to tilt my head in the perfect position so he can effortlessly kiss me. Somehow, it doesn’t even bother me that there’s another man’s blood on his lips.
Everything just goes away, and it’s just Anton and me.
His hands move from my face down to my neck. The nerve endings in my skin light up, and with a gasp, I press my body harder against his. Anton lets out a low growl in the back of his throat as his hands find my back. He pulls me flush against him.
I never thought I would crave the kiss of a madman, but here I am. I have to admit I don’t want this to end.
But it does end when Anton pulls back. “How was that?”
My lips part, but no words come out. He smirks.
“Good?”
I roll my eyes and swat his arm. “It was fine, ok?”
“Just fine?”
“Fine. Maybe more than fine. It was good.”
“Just good?”
“What do you want from me? Do you want me to list off every version of the word good to make you happy?”
His hands tighten on my waist, which doesn’t escape my notice. “It would make me happy. I consider that kiss to be earth-shattering.”
“You’re corny.”
“And you liked it.”
A small smile crosses my lips. How Anton manages to make me feel like this, I have no idea. My eyes find my reflection in the mirror behind him. and my smile instantly disappears. Blood covers my lips and cheeks.
I look ravenous. I look wild.
I pull away from Anton and wipe at my face with a rough hand. He remains unbothered by the blood on him, but what’s new?
“How can you do that? Kill people?”
“Have you never killed anyone?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course, I haven’t.” I’ve been in a few scary situations where I’ve had to hold a gun on someone, but that’s the life of being in the Bratva. But murder? Never.
“Just checking. Good girls sometimes have dark secrets in their closets.”
“I thought we established I’m not a good girl.”
“Did we?”
“We did.”
He chuckles, nodding and running a hand through his hair. “I’m able to kill people because it’s become second nature. You do it enough, and it just stops fazing you after a while.”
“When did you first kill someone? Why did you?”
“Because he pissed me off,” he says with a dark grin. “He was a man looking for a fight, and so I gave him one. I was sixteen.”
“Sixteen? God. That’s so young.”
“Not much older than a lot of men in the Bratva. I’ve heard of men as young as twelve killing people. But, of course, I was killing animals long before then.”
“You’re joking. Tell me you’re joking.”
He flashes me a smile. “I’m joking. I don’t see the point in killing innocent things that can’t fight back. I like a challenge; you know that.”
Don’t I.
“Well, you had your kiss. Now, go. And don’t stop me from leaving. I want to go to the library tomorrow to see Evie. She’s probably worried sick about me.”
“A deal is a deal, and I’m a man who keeps my word.” He heads to the door, then pauses, hesitating.
“What?”
“Just … be careful.”
“Are you actually worried for me, Anton?”
He lets out a rough breath. “No. I’m never worried. I would just hate to lose you when I just got you.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“It’s the only reason that matters.”
Somehow, I don’t think that’s true.
I find Evie at the New York Public Library sorting through a stack of books.
“Hi,” I say.
She jumps and turns around, her face breaking out into a smile once she sees me. “Katya! You’re unhurt. Thank god.” She wraps her arms around me, and I hug her just as tightly back. “What happened after Nik brought you back?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” She huffs and resumes stacking books onto a shelf. “Somehow, I doubt that. Anton didn’t do anything to you? Nothing at all.”
“Nothing I want to say out loud.”
“Katya, tell me. You’re killing me!”
“He spanked me,” I whisper. “Ok? But that was it. Oh, and he kicked Katerina out because she slapped me, so that was nice.”
“Wait. Hold on. He spanked you? Are you ok? He didn’t beat you, did he?”
“Not technically. It was just the spanking. But otherwise, he hasn’t hurt me. We get on each other’s nerves, but otherwise, everything has been fine.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Believe what you want. But Anton isn’t as bad as we thought.”
She stares at me for a long moment. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“Neither can I. But it’s true.” I lean against the shelf. “It’s weird. Anton is … sort of charming when he wants to be. I’ve gotten used to him, I guess. I trust him not to seriously hurt me. For a while, I was scared, but not any longer.”
“Well, I guess that’s good. But I’m still struggling to believe it.”
“If it makes you feel any better, he pissed of this Italian Mafia guy who might want me dead. So, there’s that.”
“Jesus, Katya! Lead with that first next time.”
“It’s fine. Anton gave me this.” I hold up my new phone. “There’s a tracking device in it to make sure I’m always safe.”
“You’re not mad that he can track you anywhere?”
“No. If I don’t want him to, I can just ditch the phone. I’m the one who offered to put the tracking device on. It was the only way to get him to agree with me leaving the house. So, just be careful, ok? Let Ava and Luna know. I don’t want this Mafia guy to find any of you.”
“It’s you who needs to be safe.”
I flash her my best smile. “I try to be.”
Evie shakes her head and pushes the cart toward another shelf. “Don’t act blasé about your safety, please.”
“Sorry. I’m just trying, you know. I’m trying to make the most out of this because if I stop for a second and actually think about everything, I’ll crash and burn, and I can’t deal with that right now. I need to be on my toes with Anton.”
“I thought you said things were good with him.”
“They’re not good, but they’re manageable. If I drop my guard, I’m not fully sure what Anton will do.”
“That’s not good, Katya.”
“What other choice do I have? Don’t judge me. You have a loving relationship with Dimitri. Not all of us are so lucky.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I just want you to be happy. That’s all.”
“I’m trying.”
I leave the library and head to the car Anton gave me to use. But before I get in, another car pulls up to me, and a man pokes his head out.
“Katya Volkov?”
“No. Sorry,” I say on instinct. “Don’t know who that is.”
“I think you do. You need to get in the car. If you don’t, I’ll have to force you into the car.”
This man is young—in his twenties, if I’m guessing—with a lot of muscle.
“You have the wrong person.” I run for my car, but he gets out of his and grabs me around the waist. He slaps his hand over my mouth before I can scream and forces me into the car.
The moment I’m inside, he locks me in.
“Where are you taking me? Who are you?”
He starts to drive away from the library.
I take my phone out of my pocket and dial Anton’s number. “What are you doing?” I ask the driver.
“Luca sends his regards.”
“Luca?”
“Moretti. Mafia,” he explains. “Now, hand over your phone.”
I freeze. “What phone?”
“The one in your pocket. Hand it over.”
“No.”
“Ok.” He stops the car and points a gun at my head. “Give me your phone.”
With no other choice, I hand him my phone, and he tosses it out of the car and resumes driving.
“Why does Luca want me?” I know exactly why. Anton pissed him off. “How did you find me so fast?”
“He’s been keeping an eye on you for a while, waiting for a moment to strike. Anton was foolish enough to let you out on your own.”
I had a taste of freedom and lost it within seconds.
The driver takes me to a large, industrial-looking apartment building. He forces me to walk inside. It’s a large lobby, and a security guard stands behind a desk.
“If you scream,” the driver says, “I’ll kill you.”
I nod and do as he says. Maybe if I just play along for long enough, I’ll find a way to escape. Or Anton will save me.
Will Anton even want to save me? I’m afraid of the answer.
“What’s your name?”
“My name isn’t important. All that’s important is Luca.”
He forces me into an elevator and up to the penthouse. After one rap on the door, it opens.
Another burly man stands there and motions us inside. The penthouse is gorgeous, with large windows overlooking the city. Anyone would kill to live there.
But I want to run far away from it.
The driver and burly man lead me into a bedroom where a man sits. He’s shirtless and has a bandage wrapped around his abdomen. The driver and the other burly man nod and leave the room.
Clearly, this must be Luca Moretti.
“So, you’re Katya. I heard you were beautiful, but seeing it with my own eyes is something else. No wonder your brother kept you hidden for so many years.”
“What do you want?”
“No patience. It’s a quality lacking in a lot of people today.”
“What do you want?” I repeat. “If you want to kill me, then do it already. Don’t mess with me.”
“You’re brave. Or stupid. Anton didn’t tell me that.”
“What did Anton tell you?”
“Nothing really. But I can tell he cares for you. Every time I threatened you, he would get a scared look in his eye. I liked seeing it. I was hoping to use Anton, but he’s a hard man to control. So, I had to take drastic measures and kidnap you. It’s the only way I can get Anton to resume working for me.”
“Why do you want him to do that?”
“Because I want to tear him and his alliance apart. I can’t have him working with your brother and Nikolai Petrov. Anton is the weak link. Once your brother realizes you’re here because of Anton, he won’t want an alliance with Anton any longer. It will break things, which will please me.”
“Because you want power, I take it?”
“Why else do any of us do anything? Being the most powerful person in the most powerful city on earth is something to aspire to, don’t you think?”
“Not really.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Oh? Why do you think that?”
“I think people should aspire for happiness, not power. Power is empty. It doesn’t make anyone happier.”
“My, aren’t you smart, little one. Well, I’ll just have fun playing with you until Anton arrives.”
“Anton is coming?”
“I need to get him in line after all.” He pats the space beside him. “Now, why don’t you come sit and keep me company? I want to have my fun with you.”